Meetings and Procedures - Planning Commission

The Planning Commission holds approximately 75 meetings per year and
usually meets every Wednesday and Thursday evening, beginning at 8:15
p.m. Commission meetings vary in length, depending on the number and
complexity of agenda items, as well as the number of citizen speakers.
The Commission generally does not meet during scheduled Board of
Supervisors budget hearings, and holiday periods, such as the first week
of July, the month of August, Thanksgiving week, or the last half of
December.

Meetings are held in the Board Auditorium of the Fairfax County
Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, and
broadcast live on Fairfax County Government's Cable Television Channel
16. Meetings are also recorded on videotapes and audiocassettes, both of
which are available for review at the Planning Commission office, by
appointment.

The Planning Commission Office is located in Suite 330 of the Government
Center. County Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.. Commission
members are employed elsewhere during the day; therefore, questions and
correspondence should be addressed to the Planning Commission Office,
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 330, Fairfax Virginia 22035-0042.
You may also contact Commission members and Planning Commission office
staff via email by sending a message to plancom@fairfaxcounty.gov

Persons interested in testifying at a Planning Commission public hearing
should call the Planning Commission Office at 703-324-2865 (TTY at
703-324-7951) or register online by filling out the questions on the Speaker's List section of the web site.

Conduct of Public Hearings

The Planning Commission establishes its own rules for the conduct of
public hearings to ensure a smooth and orderly process. The public
hearing procedures and policies adopted by the Planning Commission are
listed below for your convenience.

All persons planning to testify should sit in the front several rows of
the Board Auditorium to help expedite the public hearing process.

When called upon to speak, or as an unlisted speaker approaching the
Commission after all of the scheduled speakers have spoken, you must be
recognized by the Chairman, and you must state your name and address for
the public record. Our Planning Commission Office staff needs to clearly
understand this information to accurately note your testimony in the
public record.

Please remember that all presentations are timed. A light on the podium
will illuminate green at the beginning of each speaker's testimony. A
buzzer will sound and the red light will indicate that your allotted time
has expired. All speakers exceeding the time limit will be asked by the
Chairman to immediately conclude their remarks. If you do not finish your
presentation, be sure to provide a copy of your statement to the Planning
Commission Office as soon as possible. The entire presentation will then
be entered as part of the public record.

In order to minimize repetitive testimony, organizations are encouraged
to have only one person speak for the group, with other members of the
organization standing to show their support.

Each person may testify only once per application, unless called back to
the podium at the request of a Commission member.

The Board Auditorium is equipped with a variety of audio-visual
equipment you may use to assist your presentations. Materials, such as
slides, maps, graphs, blueprints, and videos can be presented
simultaneously to both the Commission and the audience. If you need to
use any of the audio-visual equipment, please contact the Planning
Commission Office at 703-324-2865 (TTY 703-324-7951) no later than 3:00
p.m. on the scheduled public hearing date.

Time Limits for Speakers

10 Minutes • Registered Associations: A representative of a
civic, citizens or homeowners' association; a business or professional
association; or similar organization shall be entitled to a ten minute
presentation in front of the Commission. Other members of the same group
may register as individuals, and speak as individuals, on the Speakers
List.

5 Minutes • Registered Individuals: All persons who are appearing
on their own behalf or on behalf of a business shall be allotted five
minutes to address the Commission.

3 Minutes • Unregistered Speakers: All persons who are not listed
on the Speakers List will be allowed to address the Commission after the
pre-registered list is completed. They will be allotted three
minutes.

Plan Amendment Speaker Presentation Times

5 Minutes • Registered Association - a representative of a civic,
citizen's or homeowners association. Each group is entitled to only one
five-minute presentation, but other members of the same group may
register as individuals.

3 Minutes• Registered individuals on the Speakers
List

2 Minutes• Anyone not registered on the Speakers
List

After all names have been called, anyone not on the Speakers List will
have an opportunity to address the Commission. To submit written copies
of public hearing testimony, provide 13 copies to the Clerk. After
questions and comments from the Commissioners, the Chairman will close
the public hearing. Commission action on APR items will not be taken
until the scheduled mark-up sessions.

Public Hearing Procedures for Applications

The following is an outline of the public hearing procedures followed by
the Commission when a land use application is presented. The items are
listed in the order in which they usually occur.

The Chairman will call for the public hearing by naming the specific
case and the application by its proper name. At this time, the Chairman
will ask the applicant, or the authorized agent for the application, to
reaffirm that the affidavit is correct and accurate as of the hearing
date. The Chairman will then recognize any members of the Commission who
need to make disclosures based on the information contained in the
affidavit.

After the affidavit is confirmed and all required disclosures have been
made, the Chairman will ask the County Planning Staff to present the
case. The staff coordinator will describe the property, comment on the
application, and present the staff's recommendation.

The Chairman will then allow the applicant, or authorized agent, to make
his\her presentation. The time limit for the applicant's presentation is
normally ten (10) minutes; however, the Chairman may allow up to fifteen
minutes (15) for complex cases.

After reviewing the public hearing procedures, the Chairman will call
for citizen testimony. Persons will be recognized in the order in which
their names appear on the Speakers List. After all names on the Speakers
List have been called, the Chairman will recognize any additional
speakers in the audience wishing to testify. Remember, you can submit a
written statement to the Planning Commission Staff if you do not want to
speak directly to the Commission. All written correspondence is entered
into the public record for each application.

Following the completion of the citizen testimony, the applicant will
have the opportunity to respond to questions and/or issues raised by the
Commission and/or citizens. The time limit for the applicant's rebuttal
testimony is normally five minutes.

After the applicant's rebuttal, the Chairman will recognize the staff
coordinator for closing comments and/or responses to questions. In
addition to the closing remarks from staff, Commission members will be
recognized for their questions, concerns, or comments on this
application.

Following all comments, the Commissioner handling the application will
offer a motion for Commission action.